Not That Different
by N Ashton
Summary: Things have changed, or have they? New lives and new magic but what happens when the past resurfaces to solve this new mysterious puzzel. Can Sakura face the temptations of an old flame, Syaoran, especially when she wants to ignore her old life.
1. Starting Points

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura so don't sue. Tell me what you think of this because I don't know if I'm going to write much more. Also I don't know what rating I'm going to put because I might add some better stuff. N Ashton  
  
Not that different  
  
"Freeze" I Shouted at the top of my lungs, and the creeps I'd named idiot 1 and idiot 2 both stopped in their tracks and dropped whatever package of drugs they'd been carrying. Unfortunately for me a third creep came out from wherever he'd been hiding, and fire at me.  
  
Now I'm telling you my reflexes are quick but I can't dodge bullets, so I would of got hit, except for the fact I can stop time. Okay, that's not all I can do, it just so happens that I'm the mistress of some pretty powerful ancient magical cards, the Sakura cards to be more precise. But I guess you know the story of how I came to be who I am. I used to have to call upon the cads using my staff, but now, I guess I'm getting stronger, I don't need to call upon my staff to use the cards when I'm in any immediate danger, and I can class this situation as dangerous. Anyway, back to the shooting, I froze time rolled behind a car unfreezing time once I was out of range of the bullets but before I got behind the car. I called upon windy and it blew all three creeps over, I jumped out with my gun in my hand and walked over to them on my guard. Two other cops backed me up once the creeps were down, who noticed they were out of this fight, and stayed down.  
  
** Later **  
  
I looked in the mirror, I saw a woman of around the age 24 looking back at me. She had long reasonably straight light brown hair, but with the most unusual emerald eyes and a strange pendent hanging from her neck. She had tanned, clean skin except for an ugly unhealed cut, a souvenir of today's police raid. This person can't be me right! She looks normal, like she has everything! While I don't, there's something missing in my life, but what? I have a good job, good boyfriend and good friends, so what isn't right? I walk to my department of the police station, people congratulate me on today's raid, I smile but inside I'm scared, what if I didn't have my cards? I'd be dead or at least injured; today was close, too close for my liking. I don't like using my cards unless I have too. But to all those who don't know my secret, I'm one of the best officers in this building and they call me the cat, cause I can get out of tight situations and always land on my feet, they say I have more lives than one too.  
  
"Sakura" I turn round to see my colleague and good friend Dana walking towards me, "Looks like the cat struck again, how come you always get out of situations like that?" She asks me,  
  
"I guess it's just plain luck." I reply with a forced smile,  
  
"Well you can help with a case I'm working on" she said, I follow her to our department while she tells me the basics of her case.  
  
Dana is great, we have the same interests, we have worked together on so many assignments that you just can't help being friends, but Dana Hedo does not know me that well, she doesn't know my secrets and I'm not telling her coz she is the sister on my current boyfriend, Ryu. She would tell him and say as an excuse for doing so that blood is thicker than water. She actually set me up with Ryu, blind date on my side. He works in Forensics and had developed a liking for me, so his sister set me up with him. He's a good guy but I don't feel that spark you know, I mean he is hot, but I'm not in love with him, and no matter how much time I'll give him, I don't think I will ever be. In love with him I mean.  
  
"Kinomoto!"  
  
"Hoe!" I screamed,  
  
"You kind of zoned out there, sorry I had to yell!" Dana said,  
  
"Sorry"  
  
"No problem, but I guess you weren't listening to the case details." Dana said,  
  
"Sorry" I said again,  
  
"No problem, I'm not really supposed to giving the details away anyway."  
  
We both laughed then,  
  
"So how are things going with my big bro, is it love yet?"  
  
"Dana, he's nice but I'm not sure I ."  
  
"Give him a chance, he really likes you." She interrupted, "So I'm guessing, that because you are really high strung that you guys haven't."  
  
It was my turn to interrupt, "Dana!"  
  
"What you're 23, sex shouldn't be an embarrassing subject, come to think about it you never talk about it. Don't tell me you're still."  
  
"Dana! And no I'm not, and as for your oni'chan and me, no we haven't. It's just a personal subject for me which I don't like to talk about." I reply which is completely true,  
  
"Let me ask you a question and you have to answer it!"  
  
"Okay"  
  
"How old were your first time."  
  
"Dana!"  
  
"Oh come on, no big deal I was 17"  
  
"Fine, 15"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes, really"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Really"  
  
"Dana!"  
  
"I just didn't expect, I thought college."  
  
"Hedo, Kinomoto" a yell from behind stopped her, it was Trina, one of my partners from this morning, and she was also a good friend.  
  
"Dana, Mr Conic wants to talk to you," she said,  
  
"Thanks, see y a"  
  
"Mr Conic?" I ask,  
  
"He picked her, and not you because she hasn't told him where to get off when he tried it on with her like you did." We peeled into fits of laughter, remembering the time Mr Conic came on to me and I had no hesitations about giving him the finger and the words to match it. However now I wish I used slightly different language. Not because I feel bad, God knows, I wanted to beat the crap out of him, for him thinking I would do anything with him, I mean he's old enough to be my Dad, then afterwards he called me a slut, so I had to really restrain myself from giving him a black eye, then another to match it, then to make the ensemble complete a broken nose. The reason really was that he was a superior officer and though he couldn't directly fire me, he could give me the dull; clean up cases nobody wanted, to try and make me want to quit.  
  
"You doin a case right now" she asked me after we stopped laughing,  
  
"No, you?" I asked,  
  
"As a matter of fact, Yes. I need you for it actually."  
  
"Me, I don't get good cases."  
  
"Ah, oh contre, my little cherry blossom, I was told you were my partner from orders above Conic, looks like somebody's going to change your profile from what that piece of shit wrote."  
  
"Orders from who?" I asked, intrigued,  
  
"That would be telling Sakura!" She replied, I glared at her, "Okay, I don't know," putting up her arms in defence, "all I know is that you are to be on this assignment."  
  
"So what's the assignment?"  
  
"Not a clue!" she replied,  
  
"Trina!"  
  
"What, all I was told was that it's a good case, you're my partner, as we did so well together today and that's it."  
  
"That's all you know?"  
  
"Yes. Wait. Hey I know things, that's just all I know about this case." She replied, "we gotta report to Forensics', we get briefed there." She added, leading me towards the forensics' department, "I think your lovely bo' is gonna be on this case too." I couldn't hold back the groan escaping from me, "Oh, all not well in lovers land?" she asked with a smirk on her face,  
  
"Very funny, and we're not lovers."  
  
"Guess you should of taken my advice and not gone out with him in the first place. He is not your type."  
  
"Well, oh wise one, pray, tell me what my type is?" I asked,  
  
"How am I supposed to know? I just know he wasn't It." She said as we walked on through the corridors, "So ya gonna ditch him?"  
  
"Thinking about it, Dana said I should give him another chance."  
  
"She would, I mean he is her brother," Trina snorted, "at the risk of sounding corny, just do what your heart tells you to do"  
  
"Where've I heard that before?" I said innocently, after which we burst into giggles.  
  
"Anyway, we are totally partying tonite, as a reward for doin so well today in that raid." I open my mouth to interrupt, "Yes your coming, I don't care if you are dying, your coming."  
  
"I'm supposed to be on a date with Ryu." I replied,  
  
"I thought you'd say that that's why I already told him 'bout it. He said he would come."  
  
"Trina, no offence, but I don't want to come."  
  
"Whenever we all go out together to a club, you always take a rain check, so now your rain check has expired."  
  
"I'm just not the partying person", I say, but one look at Trina's puppy dogface makes me cave, "Fine! Just this once."  
  
"Yeah, you're the best!"  
  
We walk towards Forensics where we are told about the case. It was a series of horrendous murders, the only thing that suggests that they are related was a symbol burnt on their back. This is the part where I kept quiet; the symbol is very similar to the symbol of the Clow and my own symbol, the star. These murders are magically related. This is not a fact I want to share with my co-workers, so I guess I've got to do my own investigation. The thing is, this time there's no Eriol, no Tomoyo or Meling and especially no Syaoran Li. 


	2. Feelings

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura so don't sue.  
  
Not that different  
  
Chapter two  
  
***Syaoran POV***  
  
I walk into the hotel room. Why am I here? Oh yeah Eriol Hiragizawa forced me to come. I didn't want to come but the asshole wouldn't go alone, I guess I can get some business done here though. I mean I've had some offices up here for years I've just never been bothered to come here. I think I'll go and see if everything's being run smoothly, if not some jobs are gonna be lost. It's a good cover story too, for the press I mean. Well, I can't exactly say, 'that I'm doing a magical investigation into those murders, you know, where there is a symbol burnt in to the back of the victim.' It would be even more suspicious because the police haven't released the files to the public yet. So to the press its 'Li Syaoran, 24, leader of the famous Li-clan, is in our town in Japan to check on the way his business is being run here' nothing suspicious there right? The hotel sucks, I mean it's supposed to be the best in town, but I'd give anything for them to stop bugging me, asking if I wanted anything. Yeah, I want peace. I collapse onto the gigantic bed and sigh. The door bell rings, I groan the walk over to the door and let in that annoying Eriol. "Can't I get any peace?" I yell at him, but being Eriol he just smirks,  
  
"You need to chill!" he responds quietly,  
  
"I had no idea!"  
  
"I take it your going to the offices tomorrow. Instead of helping me with this investigation."  
  
"You need to ask?" I say,  
  
"Look I'm gonna need help, it's not like anybody else is going too. I mean Meling has just got engaged."  
  
"Don't remind me!" I growl back,  
  
". Tomoyo has got to organise where and whats going on in that fashion show for her designs."  
  
"Which we have to attend!" I retort back,  
  
".and Sakura's MIA!" my anger immediately disperses at my wifes name,  
  
"Missing in action," I whisper, I walk to my suitcase and unpack a picture of us together on her twentieth birthday.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't want to mention her but we've got to be realistic, I need help investigating this!" he says softly.  
  
With one look at him I know he's sorry. Sakura, I touch the picture. She seemed so happy, but I guess I forgot how good she was at putting on fake smiles. We dated till we were both eighteen, that was how old we were when we got married, then when we were twenty, she took off. I searched for years, but she didn't want to be found. Meling, Eriol and I didn't even know she was unhappy, but Tomoyo did, although she didn't know she was going to run. Two years later a Sakura's lawyer got in touch, she wanted a divorce. He said she wanted to get on with her life, and leave the past behind her. Leave me behind her. I tried to find where she is but her lawyer won't tell and I won't sign the divorce papers till I've spoken with her. So far, she hasn't even tried to get in touch, so I haven't signed anything. I need to know why she left, before I let her go. I haven't dated anyone and I can't, the thought of moving on without her or her being with somebody else. I can't even think it. So I've engrossed myself in the Li Company and it's grown bigger and stronger than it has ever been.  
My whole family was so devastated when she left, especially Meling, so we try not to talk about her, I know that if she did ever come back though she would always be let back into the family by me but I don't know about the others.  
  
"I'll help, but I'm going to maintain the cover with the press, so I have to go into the office." I say bringing myself out of my daydream.  
  
"We need to get the files the police have and talk to some people." Eriol replies, I nod.  
  
"Most of the victims are under twenty-eight," I say,  
  
"So we could go to some of the clubs or the local hang outs, we might find out some info from them."  
  
"I agree,"  
  
"I'll go for a quick sleep, get a shower, get dressed and grab some food, then head out to the clubs from the east of the hotel. Can you do west of the hotel? And we can meet in lobby in the morning, at say eight, for breakfast?" I nod, "Good, oh yeah and at least we don't have to help Meling with her wedding preparations, she'll go mental if we get something wrong! I feel sorry for Renzo." I chuckle at his remark, he was right. He leaves the room, I put the picture of Sakura on the bedside table and set the alarm and lay down on my bed staring at the picture, until I fall in to an uneasy sleep.  
  
***Sakura POV*** I open the door to my apartment and slowly shut the door behind me. I put the food shopping on the table next to the door.  
  
"Hey Kero you home?" I shout,  
  
"In the living room" he calls back,  
  
"Can you help me with the shopping?" I say, he comes to me in his true form and grabs one of the paper bags with his teeth, while I take my shoes off and then grab the other bag following the guardian beast into the Kitchen.  
  
"Yuki still at work,"  
  
"Yeah, and I bet as soon as he gets home he'll either transform into Yue or stay as Yuki and eat all of the food" Kero says,  
  
"Kero!" I say warningly,  
  
"What its true! Ryu left a message apologizing for something, what did he do now?"  
  
"Told everybody we'd go out with them before even asking me, I hate it when he does things without asking me."  
  
"You know what I say."  
  
"Dump him" I mimic, putting the food into the cupboards,  
  
"I'm serious Sakura!"  
  
"You haven't even met him," I say,  
  
"Your right, but I know you're to good for him, and you wanna know how I know that? The amount times he's always calling apologizing for doing something stupid."  
  
"Yeah well." I let the words drift off in to silence,  
  
"What's wrong Sakura, I hate seeing you upset."  
  
"I don't know Kero. I just feel so empty, do I look empty?"  
  
"You look like you need a long relaxing bath, I'll go get one running,"  
  
"Thanks Kero," I whisper talking off my shoulder bag, and I get out the copy of the files I received on those murders and I take them to the kitchen table.  
  
I've lived with Kero and Yue since I left Syaoran, and though there annoying at times, I couldn't live without them. Yue's borrowed form Yuki, is currently working as a teacher at an elementary school. Yue went through a lot around the same time I did, I mean he broke up with my brother and it wasn't easy on either of them, and that was probably the only time he would ever open up to anyone, and we're closer to each other now, he looked so vulnerable, I probably look like that now. Kero's right, Trina's right, I'm not happy with Ryu, I need to break up with him. I can feel tears falling down my cheeks, will I ever feel loved, like the way I did with Syaoran? I feel Kero slightly pulling me to the bathroom, and say it's going to be all right. How, I felt like screaming, nothing is ever going to be all right. I miss Syaoran so much, but I can't go back to that life, so I am I gonna feel like this forever. I hear Kero shut the bathroom door. I slowly undress and climb into the bathtub, the tears fall more freely as I breakdown crying hugging my knees. 


	3. Meeting once again

Hey everyone, gotta say thanx for reading this story and this is chapter three and I know 'crash' the name of the club isn't all that original but I was stuck on ideas, also I know in Japan they say last names first but I'm not doing that, also the names aren't really Japanese either. Unfortunately I do not own cardcaptor sakura so don't sue!  
  
Not that different  
  
Chapter three  
  
***Sakura POV***  
  
I'm once again staring into this mirror as though my reflection is going to talk back to me and give me all the answers and explanations I need to have, but it doesn't speak. Now I could call upon one of my cards, mirror, and it would talk back to me but the cards don't give straight answers, more riddles, which don't make much sense, probably an aspect of Clow Reed, because I vaguely remember Eriol always speaking in riddles. What am I gonna do with myself? I try not to breakdown crying if I can help it, but sometimes things just get too much.  
  
I stand up and walk over to my closet and I look for something to wear for tonight. I don't like showing off my body, I'm more of the conservative type, so I decide on a loose fitting pair of jeans and a sleeveless, v-neck top in black. I was going to wear a low back top, high in the front, but considering I have a tattoo of my star symbol on the centre of my back, and because it's similar to they symbol on the murder victims, I decide against it. I walk back to the mirror and look at my reflection, perfect, I wouldn't stand out in a crowd, which is the way I like it. I tie part of my hair back and put on a layer of mascara and I'm all set. I walk into the living room, where Kero is playing some computer game, "I'm gonna get going Kero, you want anything before I go?" I say, sighing afterwards,  
  
"Nah, you sure you want to go?" Kero asked,  
  
"Trina wouldn't forgive me if I back out now! Plus it's supposed to be a celebration."  
  
"No point celebrating, if you don't feel like it." He muttered,  
  
"Then I gotta take one for the team hey!" I say, grabbing my long pink coat from the cupboard in the hallway, "I won't get back too late so don't wait up, and say hi to Yuki for me when he gets in."  
  
"Okay kiddo, try and have fun!"  
  
"I will" I reply, closing the front door. I sigh and lean against it once it's closed, I'll just go have a drink and come back, no big deal. Right? Think positive Sakura, I say out loud to myself, and then I catch a look from one of my neighbours and smile sheepishly. Great, I now have my neighbour thinking I'm crazy.  
  
***Syaoran POV***  
  
I walk out of the second club I've been to and so far zero. Well what did I expect? I expected this to be easy, go to club, ask questions as discreetly as possible without insinuating anything to do with the murders, get answers and go back to the hotel and sleep. Guess somebody wants me to suffer! Hopefully third time lucky, right? Probably not, I need to experience mental torture, as if coming to this town with Eriol wasn't enough in the first place. I've been told the next club isn't too far away, but it's more of a hangout for the locals then a techno club aimed at the tourists. God, it's freezing here at night, I wish I had a car! I should really rent one if I have to stay here a while, but I guess I need to endure the cold for a while. I walk quicker, rubbing my hands together.  
  
Before I know it, I'm standing at the entrance to this place called 'crash'. I assume it's the next club or should I say hangout, on my agenda. I walk in, and go down these stairs; I head straight to the bar, and order a drink, anything with alcohol. I sit on a stool in silence contemplating whom I'm going to talk to, when I hear somebody stand next to me and ask for a beer. Still I sit silently, until I hear that somebody introducing herself.  
  
"Hi, I'm Dana Hedo." She says, I take a look at her. My age, dyed blonde hair, seems average height, I know this sounds bigheaded and everything, but I can't be bothered with some woman trying to talk to me. So I just turn back to my drink. Jerk, I know, but right now I just want to ask questions and get out of here, I can't do that if I'm chatting to some girl. Secondly, my ego kicks into gear again and I'm assuming that she's just gonna start flirting, I only want Sakura, and this girl ain't Sakura.  
  
"Ain't you going to introduce yourself?" she says expectantly,  
  
"Nope!" I say shortly,  
  
"Excuse me,"  
  
"Sorry I meant to say "no, I'm not going to introduce myself" or do I need to spell it out?" I say sarcastically, I can't be bothered being civilised,  
  
"Rude much?"  
  
"You asked." I say before going back to my drink, she collects hers and goes back to wherever she came from. I sit in silence for quite a while before I hear some other female ask for a few beer's only she catches my attention, but not by speaking to me. No, her voice sounds like Sakura's, exactly like Sakura, I turn to her, and our eyes lock, light-brown hair, emerald eyes. I know instantly, it's Sakura!!!  
  
***Sakura POV***- back to her last POV  
  
I walked to Crash, it's not too far from the apartment, and I just didn't feel like taking my car, too hard to park anyway. I just hug myself through my coat trying to keep warm. I'm glad I picked my long one. Should I break up with Ryu tonight? Or shall I leave it till tomorrow? I tally with this question in my head the whole walk there. I walk into the dim and noisy club known as crash. It's not a bad place, great area to just hangout with friends, play pool, drink and dance. I go down the stairs into the heart of crash, and I immediately spot Trina by a pool table, she's wearing this weird outfit. That how you always spot the gang, look for Trina, who usually organizes these celebrations outside work, and you're sure to find everybody else.  
  
"Hey you made it!" Trina greeted me with, coming to hug me.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so." I reply,  
  
"Hey sweetie," Ryu said, trying to kiss me on the lips, I move my head so he catches my cheek instead, after which he gives me a funny look, which is hard to interpret.  
  
"Hey Dana, Mikey, Sephy, Conner and last but not least Tony." They all say hi back except Dana who just grunts, "Is anybody else coming?" I say,  
  
"Some others later, yeah and beware of Dana, bad mood alert." Trina said teasingly,  
  
"I'm not in a bad mood!" she says this before taking a shot at a corner pocket, hitting the ball so hard it flies off the table.  
  
"Yeah rite" Trina replies, "Some guy at the bar totally dissed her, and shes taking it out on the pool table."  
  
"Great now I feel even better, why don't you tell the whole world?" Dana replied haughtily,  
  
"Don't take rejection so personally Dana, I'm always being rejected. That did not make me sound good did it?" Mikey replied, we just nodded and laughed.  
  
"I'm gonna get a beer, anyone want one?" I say,  
  
"I'll get one for you!" Ryu says,  
  
"Nah, I'll get it myself."  
  
"I'll have one," said Sephy,  
  
"Me too" Trina said, "Then next round'll be on me"  
  
"Beware of the hot guy with brown hair, total jerk" Dana says,  
  
"Will do," I shout back as I make my way to the bar, which guy with brown hair there's about three at the bar.  
  
"Hey bar keep, can I get three beers over here please?" I say, and then the guy I'm standing next to turns to look at me. I sense a sudden familiarity. I take in the brown hair, and my gaze locks with these intense amber eyes.  
  
Oh My God it's Syaoran Li!!!  
  
What do you think? Review please. I want some ideas coz I wrote this at like mid-night. 


	4. Talking

Hey everyone! Gotta say thanx for reading the story and this is chapter four, what's going to happen? Lets see. I think that I'm doing this chapter mainly in third person so italics are going to be thoughts. Unfortunately I do not own cardcaptor sakura so don't sue!  
  
Not that different  
  
Chapter four  
  
The eye contact between them was held for what seemed like an eternity, until both of them blushed and turned away. It was too much for them. Syaoran felt like he was back at elementary school, shy as ever and he tried as hard as he could not to turn into that stuttering kid again like he did when he was around her. She still made his heart race that much faster and his breath catch in his throat. Flashes of what it felt like to wake up next to her, to kiss her and make love to her went through his head. He lifted his face to look at her again.  
  
While, Sakura, after she looked away, dozens of feelings and emotions that she wished she never felt, rushed back to her like a wild river. She cried earlier because of these feelings and they were strong then, but now they were even more intensified, and she tried as hard as she could to keep the tears from springing to her eyes. She felt his gaze on her but refused to meet his eyes again a second time, afraid of what she'll see. The beers she'd ordered were placed in front of her and she busied herself in paying for them.  
  
"Hi," he said in a quiet restrained tone,  
  
"Hey," she replied,  
  
He mouthed his mouth to say something but the sound barely came out so he settled for another, "Hi"  
  
"Hey" she repeated lamely, then there was silence.  
  
"So, err, hi?" he said inwardly cringing afterwards,  
  
"You know, I think we've got the 'Hi' and 'Hey' greetings down to an art."  
  
"I think your right there." He replied,  
  
"So, em, how are you?" Sakura asked trying to keep any form of conversation going, then regretting it immediately afterwards knowing what trouble she must of caused.  
  
Crap, "Good, the company's size has grown tremendously," he said,  
  
"Yeah, I-I heard,"  
  
"How's life treating you?"  
  
You don't want to know, "Not that bad, I'm living with Kero and Yue, so I'm not in any financial problems, so okay I guess. " she replies,  
  
"That's good," he said trailing off,  
  
"How is everyone," Sakura asked quietly,  
  
"Oh well, Tomoyo's fashion is really hitting off, she won an award a few years ago and now she can't stop,"  
  
"Something like designer of the year right?" she asks, he nods, "I've seen some of her outfits, they look brilliant, but I can no way afford them on my wages." The conversation goes silent.  
  
"Meling just got engaged,"  
  
"You're kidding me. Wow, that's like. it's great. Is he-he. well you know, okay? Decent?" She asked her concern taking over her curiosity,  
  
She's still the same Sakura, always thinking of others. But she didn't think of me when she ran off. These thought's filled his head, that he forgot to answer,  
  
"Syaoran?"  
  
"Yes? Oh, err, yeah he's okay, do you think I'd let him even date her if he wasn't?"  
  
"I guess not," she chuckled, but it didn't ease any tension.  
  
"Sakura, what happ." He started, unable to finish,  
  
"I'm dating somebody you know, a really good guy," she said interrupting,  
  
"Oh, really," he said, he felt that old pain in his heart that he thought he would no longer feel. He thought he was numb to everyone and everything around him sometimes, and I see her once and every pain resurfaces, "Do you love him?" He says quietly,  
  
"Syaoran that's not really any of your business, I mean you can't." She replies angry that he even dared to ask that.  
  
"You don't, do you?" he interrupts,  
  
"I might, it's none of your." she trails of as he moves in towards her ear, "What are you doing?" she say panicking, not from what he said, but how to keep this lie going while keeping her brain functioning from the effect of his closeness. She forgot how he made her feel, how could I forget?  
  
"I know you Sakura," he whispered, when he had leaned in fully to her ear, he had to be right; she couldn't love this guy, whoever he was.  
  
With one movement, she pushed him away, "Syaoran stop this, please."  
  
"Or what? You'll hurt me? I don't think you can hurt me more that you already have," he said in a hurtul way, turning back to his drink, "But do try, I mean you need to keep that particular skill in practise right," Sakura turns away from him, obviously upset, "have you slept with him?" he tries to say strongly, but his voice breaks, "have you slept with any one?" he says turning to her,  
  
Sakura looks at him, "I-I-I have" she lied,  
  
"Liar," he states, she opens her mouth to speak, "Say it without stuttering then and I might believe you. Besides sex is to meaningful to you, I know you wouldn't just sleep with anyone, you're not like that"  
  
She took deep breaths to steady herself, "That's not fair Syaoran. You can't do this."  
  
"Well don't worry, my sweet, I haven't either, not with anyone else." He said even surprising himself. He thought situations out like this all the time in his head when she first left, and each time he fell apart. But now. I guess it's different when you're actually going at it.  
  
She lifts her head up and directly looks in his eye for the second time that evening, I hate you; I hate how you make me feel like this she screams in her head. Tears start to fill her eyes and she breaks contact by looking down. I have to be strong, let me be strong! She thinks as tears fall down her cheeks, damn hormones. She felt a hand on her chin forcing her head up, Syaoran's hand. He wipes away her tears with his thumb, and leans in to brush his lips lightly against hers.  
  
He pulls back, and their gazes lock and this time they both lean forward and kiss, sweet at first but it went deeper and became more meaningful as though they were both searching for something. Though it was not long before thoughts drift back into Syaoran's head, public place and no way near private enough to carry these inappropriate thoughts out.  
  
He breaks off, and Sakura looks at him searchingly and feels like she's done something wrong until he leans and whispers breathlessly in her ear,  
  
"Can we go somewhere more private?"  
  
She new the implications of this question, she knew what it meant; she knew it would violate every reason she had for leaving in the first place. But she didn't care, right then and there she wanted to be with him more than anything and the fact she was here with friends didn't even register in her mind. She nodded and took his outstretched hand and followed him out of Crash.  
  
Only one person, one friend, noticed her leave hand in hand with a man she had no knowledge of ever meeting, but she didn't say anything. Trina thought Sakura was to good for Ryu in the first place, and let her and the unknown man leave unseen.  
  
Author's note: what do you think? I had no idea of how I was going to write it, but it just sort of came to me. 


	5. Working

Hey, I got it updated. Wahoo! I don't know what else to say. Tell me what you think.  
  
Not that different!  
  
Chapter five  
  
***Sakura POV*** The moment I opened my eyes I knew there was something wrong. It as until I felt a presence next to me that I realised how wrong. I notice that this room wasn't mine, no way near mine, and came to the conclusion I wasn't at home. Then as if on cue, last nights events came back to me in a whirl.  
  
"Oh God, oh God," I whisper quietly. I slightly turn to see the person lying next to me with his hand on my waist. Yep it was Syaoran.  
  
I try to move his arm off me while I'm begging him silently in my mind not to wake up. After successfully moving his arm, I try to move as quietly as possible of the massive bed. What happened? Duh, I know what happened; I'm not that out of it. Why did I let it happen? That is what I should be asking myself. The moment I'm free of the tangled bed covers, I frantically search for my clothes, which happen to be in many different places around the room. A bedside table, which has a small clock, catches my eye. Oh no! It's eight-thirty, I'm going to be late for work and not going to have chance to go home. I try to recall, while I'm dressing myself, if I've left some spare clothes in my work locker. I mean I can't wear this, I wore it last night and it's not really what you wear for work, no matter how conservative I try to dress at night.  
  
I hear a movement behind me that came from the bed; I swear my heart stopped, even for a second it stopped. I grab my shoes as I walk out of the door and close it as quietly as possible. I lean against it and let out the breath I didn't know I had been holding.  
  
It wasn't until a couple of seconds later that I noticed I wasn't alone. I guiltily looked in the direction of the presence. Great! Just fucking great! Eriol Hiragizawa, can my life get any worse right now.  
  
"Now I know why Syaoran is late for breakfast." He said hostilely, while I moved away from the door, I'd been leaning on.  
  
"Hi Eriol," I say,  
  
"What are you doing here?" he said in the same tone, I remain silent, "You know what, don't answer that, I can probably guess what happened."  
  
I open my mouth, probably to say 'that's not fair' or 'shut up' but I guess that I didn't have any right. He has a right to be hostile with me, so I just held up my chin, not caring if he could see tears falling down my cheeks, I would bear this lecture, I earned it and I'll take the consequences. But it didn't come, the lecture I mean. Instead I just heard,  
  
"I'll give you ten minutes before I knock on that door." He said, I just looked at him straight in the eye and whispered  
  
"Thank you."  
  
He came towards me and said, "however, you need to give me your number, I want to know where you are and that your safe," I open my mouth to reply but he got there first, "I don't care Sakura, give me the number. I won't tell Syaoran." I just nod and give him the number, which he writes on a piece of card, which he then puts in his pocket, and then he comes towards me and wraps me in a hug. I pull away and just walk down the corridor, turn the corner to go to the lift, then I look back. Please, don't let this of wrecked my new life.  
  
***Syaoran***  
  
I wake up to hear a knock on the door and instantly I feel that something is wrong, mainly because of the absence of an auburn-headed beauty by the name of Sakura. I spot a dressing gown and put it on before hastily opening the door. I see Eriol, I look back at the clock, eight- forty-five, oh no, I forgot breakfast. But instead of seeing him angry, he looked almost sympathetic. He knew something I didn't and a feeling in my gut said it was to do with Sakura.  
  
"What?" I asked,  
  
"I saw her, walking out just before," he said, affirming that feeling. I said earlier to her that she couldn't hurt me anymore than she already had, well guess what? She did the impossible; she hurt me.  
  
"I'm going to the office, so I've got to get ready," I say, I feel myself withdraw, shut myself off almost.  
  
"You okay?" he said, concern showing,  
  
As if, "I'm great," but I can tell he didn't buy it, but he left knowing I wanted to be alone and you don't know how thankful I was for that. I looked at the bed. I turned away and headed to the bathroom, tears stinging my eyes, which I refused to refuse to admit, were there.  
  
***Sakura*** I quickly walk into the locker room, and walk straight to my locker. I get out some smart trousers but I couldn't find my shirt, I search for it.  
  
"You want to borrow one of mine." I turn quickly, I breathe a sigh of relief, it was Trina.  
  
"Yeah please, I thought I'd left one here." I replied, she opened her locker and passed me one.  
  
"So, I saw you leave last night,"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry, I was felt ill," I lied while slipping off my trousers,  
  
"I meant, I saw you leave with someone." She said, looking at me very carefully, I stop dead in my tracks, "Don't worry, I let you leave unnoticed, but who was he?"  
  
"You don't want to know." I say, pulling on my new pair of trousers,  
  
"Yes, I do and I hate you, you know." She says offhandedly, I falter again, "I mean you get fit men and I didn't notice until now, how bloody skinny you are!"  
  
I blush and turn around pulling my top off,  
  
"You have a tattoo! Wow! Oh that, er, that looks similar to that symbol on the erm, "  
  
"I got it done, when I was fifteen okay, and it looks completely different to that symbol," I say putting the shirt on. I turn around, "how do I look?"  
  
"You never have to ask that you know. So who was he?" she says,  
  
"Look, I have got to go and break up with somebody," I say walking out of the door, hoping to lose her, no such luck.  
  
"He was that good, huh?"  
  
"I was going to break up with Ryu last night, I just got a little side tracked," she stops walking ready to go round the corner,  
  
"I betcha got side tracked girl!" she yelled back at me, I smile despite the situation, I know I still love Syaoran, but I can't believe I'm putting myself in this position. I shake it off and prepare what I'm going to say to Ryu.  
  
***Syaoran POV***  
  
I walk into the offices of my company, and immediately somebody walks up to me and hands me a file,  
  
"This way sir, I will show you you're office,"  
  
I remain silent all the way to my office, "You can leave now!" I barked, the man practically ran from the office, what can I say; I'm in a bad mood, partly because of the rejection I'm currently feeling.  
  
I sit down on a big comfy chair; I open the file and read it. I hear a knock on the door, "come in" I shout, and a woman walked in,  
  
"I'm Mrs Jenkins, your assistant," I look up at her, she's older looking than most, but I can tell instantly she is a hard worker. She senses me watching her, "I know, I'm not as young as most assistants, but I can do everything they can do. Well I will do almost everything, except personal favours, because if you do want me to do that kind of personal favour, I'm out the door," she adds, I have to grin, I know what she's implying. In the past, a lot of younger women have tried to, how can I say this, please me, in more ways than one, to move up in the business. Of course I say no, I love Sakura no matter what she's done to me, but it still annoys me when they try.  
  
"I wouldn't expect any. what did you say it was, personal favours? I just want somebody who will do the work, and you do have a good review so, I'm not firing you don't worry." I reply, "I think this is going to be a good working relationship."  
  
She smiles, in a motherly way and says "I'll get you a coffee, sir." 


	6. what people do to you

Thanks to everybody who reviewed, I hope it hasn't been to long since I updated. I don't know what I want to do in the story so I'm just putting it in as a little nit bit, to help link up the next chapters.  
  
Not that Different  
  
What others do to you  
  
"Sakura just broke up with me," Ryu said to his work friends,  
  
"How long ere you two going out for?" one of his friend Conner said,  
  
"Two months," he replied,  
  
"Dammit, Mikey you had two months right," a said a man who worked in that office,  
  
"Yep," Mikey replied grinning, "Pay up guys,"  
  
"You betted on how long we were to stay together for?" Ryu said disbelievingly, as the lads paid mikey at least two hundred,  
  
"Look we were hoping you were to stay together but she's just too good for you," Conner said, glaring at the man who brought the bet up,  
  
"Don't you mean I'm too good for her?"  
  
"Nope," Mikey said, "Look, we just didn't think that you treated her right,"  
  
"What do you mean, I treated her exactly the way I treated all my old girlfriends"  
  
"Exactly, Sakura is nothing like your ex's. I mean for one thing she's drop- dead gorgeous, you don't know how people would love to date her. Secondly, she's really nice and got a great personality, so ultimately she's great to be around. You treated her like your ex's when she's like 100 times better and that is where you screwed up," Tony said,  
  
"You all thought this?" Ryu said, and everybody listening nodded their heads, even the married men, "Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"Duh, you should of known, and half of us wanted to date her ourselves," Mikey replied,  
  
"I need some fresh air," Ryu said leaving the office,  
  
*****Sakura*****  
  
"You do it?" Trina said,  
  
"Yep, I felt like shit saying it. You know since I broke up with him at least three officers have asked me out." I replied,  
  
"What did you expect, I think half of the officers want to get in your pants including some females" Trina said smiling,  
  
"Not what I want to think about right now. Dana yelled at me for breaking her brothers heart."  
  
"Forget her, if she can't see how miserable you were, she's not worth being your friend," Trina said to me comfortingly, "So who was he?"  
  
"Trina!" I said,  
  
"What you didn't think I was going to forget? You better tell me."  
  
"No." I say,  
  
"Tell me, or I'm going to keep bugging you about it, so you might as well tell me before I start resorting to violence,"  
  
"Li Syaoran," I say simply, "Can I have that soda,"  
  
"Li Syaoran!!!" she yells,  
  
"Shush, don't tell the whole world,"  
  
"No it's just, that's who rejected Dana last night." Trina said,  
  
"You gotta be kidding me" I say placing I head in my hand,  
  
"Nope, how did you get him last night then?"  
  
"I married him. You know I really want that soda," I say the first part quietly, then try to change the subject again. Trina just looked at me confused, as she passed me the soda,  
  
"I don't understand, you're married to him," I nod, "What, when, why?"  
  
"I was eighteen okay, and we're separated."  
  
"You didn't look very separated last night," she said quietly,  
  
"Yeah well, I guess I got caught in the moment,"  
  
"You still love him, don't you?" she asks me,  
  
"Yes," I say quietly, I haven't told anybody that, and now I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder.  
  
"Then why aren't you two together?" she asks, I look at her and open my mouth, tears form in my eyes,  
  
"I can't talk about it, it's just. I'm not ready to talk about it."  
  
"Okay," she says, sensing how painful it is for me to talk about, "We got a briefing on that murder case later, some people have talked to us. Make sure your there."  
  
"Okay" I say quietly, leaving to head for the bathroom, ignoring a glare from Dana as I pass her in the hallway.  
  
*****Syaoran*****  
  
I sit in my office looking over some reports, I really don't want to go to that meeting, maybe I can ask Jenkins to cancel it. The buzzer in the phone goes off, I answer it,  
  
"Mr Li, there's a woman here to see you by the name of Starlight Trina, shall I let her in?"  
  
"I don't know anybody by that name. What does she want Jenkins?" I say,  
  
"She won't say, she's just said that it's really important and that she has to see you,"  
  
"Let her in, but prepare to call security if I give you a buzz and she's still in here," I say,  
  
"I'll send her in."  
  
I wait at my desk for this starlight woman, the door opens and Jenkins brings her in, she doesn't look familiar,  
  
"What is it that you want?" I say, trying to be as civilised as possible. She looks at me, with a strange look on her face as if she's regretting being here. She takes a deep breath and says,  
  
"I work with Sakura Kinomoto,"  
  
"What!" if I was expecting anything, I wasn't expecting that.  
  
"She is your wife right?"  
  
"Yes. You work with her? Is she okay? Nothings happened, has it?" I ask, I'm seriously worried,  
  
The woman smiled at me, "She's fine, I think. She doesn't know that I'm here though. She told me about you this morning, after she broke up with Ryu."  
  
"She broke up with him?" I say cheerfully, my hopes rising,  
  
"Yeah, but she didn't say she wanted to get back with you,"  
  
"Oh," serves me right for getting my hopes up, "where is she working?"  
  
Starlight gives me a funny look before saying "The Police Force" slowly,  
  
"The police," I repeat disbelievingly,  
  
"Yeah, but I came to tell you." she takes a deep breath, "She still loves you," my heart jumps to my throat, "now, I don't know what has happened between the two of you, but I know she wants you and whatever she's upset about I think she can get over it, if you help her. So I want you to talk things out and this time try not to get her into bed with you," Starlight wrote something on a piece of paper, "that's her address and which department she works in. You'd better talk to her, and if you break her heart, I will hurt you." With that she left my office.  
  
Jenkins walks into my office, "What was that about" she asks and to be honest, I really don't know how to answer that. 


	7. events which lead to pain

Hey everybody, I was on a roll last night. Thanks for the reviews everybody. Tell me what you think; I'm not sure about this chapter though.  
  
Not that different  
  
Events that lead to pain  
  
*****Sakura POV*****  
  
"Great, no motives, no reliable witnesses. Just fucking great! How the hell are we supposed to solve this case," Trina said, while sitting around the table in the briefing room, "I mean those people did help, but just not that much."  
  
"Calm down Miss Starlight," said the leading officer on this case, "I know you. we are all a little on edge, but we can't do much right now on the information we currently have,"  
  
Right that is it; I have to say something, even if it's only a little bit, just to keep these people going. I get up out of my seat, grab a pen and move towards the white board. I draw the old Clow symbol on it. I turn around to see the shocked faces of my co-workers.  
  
"What is that?" Ryu asks me; actually, it's the first time he's spoken to me since I broke up with him.  
  
"It's an old symbol that dates back throughout history. It was said, to originally to be used by an ancient magician who went by the name of Clow Reed. I just thought it looked similar to that which was burned in the victims back." I said, not mentioning that it was still used by the Li- Clan.  
  
"How do you know this?" the leading officer, Mr Kami asked me,  
  
I just shrugged and said, "My Father's an archaeologist. It just came to me now."  
  
"Well, it's a start I guess. I mean the symbols are quite a close match," Trina said,  
  
"Yeah, so the killer could be an old follower of a similar group who believe in ancient magic," Ryu said sarcastically,  
  
"We shouldn't rule out any possibilities Ryu, there could well be some person who does follow a cult and claim that they told them to kill some people." Tony snapped back at him,  
  
"Tony's right, we shouldn't rule out anything. We're going to have to wait for the tech's to get back on the DNA results. Let's look at the locations, an ice rink, a wood, the beach and a shrine. Can anybody see any connections?"  
  
"Not really," I say, and everybody nods in support,  
  
"The beach, would it have been the sea, but the body was brought in by the tide?" Tony said,  
  
"That could well be, but I just don't see a connection, unless he or her or them, really didn't want to get caught," the office said,  
  
"Maybe they were placed in each place for a reason, but there isn't any evidence of somebody bringing them to those places, it was as if by." Trina said,  
  
"As if by magic," I added,  
  
"Oh come on, magic. Have you heard yourselves? It doesn't exist." Ryu says,  
  
I feel a swell of annoyance, but since I can't turn and say I'm the mistress of magical cards, I settle for, "My Father's an archaeologist and he's told me something's that just can't be explained otherwise."  
  
"But magic?" he replied disbelievingly,  
  
"I have my beliefs and I'll let you keep yours." I bark back, "Are we done? Coz, I wouldn't mind going home, I didn't get much sleep last night, there's something about waking up in somebody's hotel room gives me that feeling anyway." I say, now my cools gone. I must of hit home because he looked as if he's been slapped. I look around and notice that once again I have everybody shocked, but this time that excludes Trina.  
  
"Yeah," said Kami, after he collected himself, "we're done." After which I leave the room in silence.  
  
I walk straight to my car which I had picked up while on my lunch break, great, why did I say that, now everyone's going to think I'm a slut, when in truth, I've only ever slept with one person. I drive home with my head full of jumbled thoughts about Syaoran, these Murders's; how they're connected, the body dumpsites, it just didn't make sense. My thoughts are interrupted though when somebody's car headlights, which are obviously on full power, blind me temporarily, "shit head," I say as I beep the horn, but at that particular moment they ram their car into me.  
  
"What the fuck?" I shout as they bump into me again, and their headlights are sill on full power. What the hell is going on? Then it hits me. Strong and forcefully, like I've hit a wall. I sense something I haven't for a long time. Magic! And an ancient magic at that! I haven't needed to concentrate like I have to now for a long time. It's going to be hard getting myself psyched up for this. I mean yeah, I participate in police raids all the time but they're nothing when compared to a magical battle.  
  
I serve sharply and bang my head on the car door. However my little manoeuvre didn't go a miss because that ass hole banged into me again. I grab the wheel tightly and turn it as quickly as I could, so that I moved down a small road. My senses heightened so that it could help to predict what choices I can make and when that freak is going to hit me. I wish I could of used my magic right now but I needed to concentrate on the road otherwise I would end up in my car like a crumpled tin can, especially at the speed I'm now travelling at.  
  
"Shit, shit, shit!" I shout as I serve again, jerking in my seatbelt, I'm going to have grazes in the morning that is if I make it that long. I turn left, then right, then right again but I'm not losing this sucker. I serve sharply again on a road to my left.  
  
"Oh no!" I shout as I realise that the road I'm travelling on leads to an extremely busy road, I look behind me to see if that fucking car is going to slow down, like hell it is. I concentrate as hard as I possibly can to freeze time and just as I'm about to reach the cars at full speed, the road freezes including that bloody car behind me, my car scrapes through the others and as I pass through, time unfreezes and the car tailing me plummets into the fast lane. I can finally let that breath out, which I was holding. I keep on driving ignoring the fire burning behind me, and more importantly, not looking back.  
  
When I finally arrive within a block of my home, my car breaks down on me. Figures. Well, it could of collapsed during that chase, so I guess I should have been grateful. I collect my bag and walk quickly to my place. The moment I open the door though Kero starts hounding me with questions,  
  
"Where the hell were you? You didn't come home last night? You could have." he shuts up as soon as he sees me. I must be a sight for sore eyes. "What happened? Yue!"  
  
Yue then comes in to see me; the both of them help me to the couch in the living room.  
  
"I was attacked," I say as Kero places a cloth on my forehead, while Yue stands in front of me. "I was in my car, and then something blinded me, banged into me. I couldn't tell at first but they had magic! I finally lost the on the Jefforson road, but otherwise I couldn't shaked them. I could have been killed."  
  
"There's something's I can check out, see some people, ask them if they know of anybody with a grudge on you." Yue said,  
  
"There's something else," they both turn to me, "Syaoran and Eriol are in town."  
  
"What!" Kero says, as the bell rings, Yue answers it, hopefully his presence will scare them off, and I'm not in the mood for company right now. Maybe it has something to do with the fact somebody tried to kill me!  
  
Yue comes back into the room but he's not alone. Syaoran is with him.  
  
"Kero I'm going to need your help," Yue says pulling him out of the front door so that I'm alone with Syaroan.  
  
"Subtle, right." I say,  
  
"What happened?" I wasn't going to tell him but his concern shocks me and before I know it, I've old him everything that just happened.  
  
*****Normal POV******  
  
Syaoran just looks at her once she's finished telling her story. He then moves to grab the cloth but she gets to it first.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Your friend Trina came to see me," he said simply,  
  
"I'll kill her," Sakura says,  
  
"Well she'll kill me if I hurt you," he jokes,  
  
"Then you'd better leave because I know why you're here," she replies,  
  
"Sakura, please tell me,"  
  
"I can't," she says looking at her feet,  
  
"Tell me why you left," he replies insistently, lifting her chin up with his hand. She pulls away and stands up away from him, forgetting about her injuries,  
  
"There was just to much pressure Syaoran," she says quietly,  
  
"I don't understand, what pressures?" Syaoran said, his voice rising questioningly.  
  
"The pressures of being married to you!" she shouted back at him, and when those words were out he looked hurt. But she didn't care, they needed to have this conversation for along time coming and that was it, the floodgates were opened and she was going to let it all out. "The constant attention of being married to somebody so powerful, the press continuously hounding you, watching your every move, asking you when you're going to produce that ever needed heir to the Li-Clan"  
  
"Is that what this was about, was that why you left?" he said softly, trying to control his temper, "I thought we weren't ready for kids, not then anyway, it doesn't matter what they said. And if by some chance you did get pregnant we would of dealed and."  
  
"But I was pregnant Syaoran, that's the point!"  
  
"What?" it came like a slap in the face to him, as the next thought he spoke aloud, "How come I didn't know this? What happened to."  
  
"Because I miscarried." And that was it, it was finally out and so were the tears that fell down her cheeks, "that's my big secret Syaoran, your brilliant, loving wife couldn't even give birth to a child. And it was my fault, I mean, maybe if I'd. I could of."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" he said with his anger seeping into his voice, "We could of got through it together. But you wouldn't even let me grieve for my unborn child because I knew nothing about him or her."  
  
"Yes, I was selfish in not telling you, is that what you want to hear. I didn't know what was I supposed to say, when I found out I was pregnant you were out of the country and I didn't want to tell you over the phone because it felt so impersonal, but by the time you got back I'd already lost the child."  
  
"You still should have told me, you should of."  
  
"The past is littered with should of's or would of's, but the key word there is PAST, Syaoran. I could have made a lot of different choices on how I went about it, but I've already done it, I made my choices on it and there is no way I can change that now! It happened four years ago!"  
  
"Time doesn't mean a thing Sakura, I know that for a fact. Time doesn't heal all wounds or make the heart grow fonder, it just doesn't happen. And if time was such a big issue here, I wouldn't feel the way I do now and you wouldn't be crying or hurting the way you are."  
  
"You don't know what it was like Syaoran. I'm the mistress of the fucking cards, and I felt so powerless. I could have gone back to change things, rewrite time, but some things are just meant to be and you don't know how hard it was for me to except that, and I didn't think I could have stood it if I lost him again. But just because I didn't want to go back and try and redo things, doesn't mean that I didn't feel responsible or hurt, I mean for God's sake I lost my child and you don't know how that felt!"  
  
"Because you wouldn't let me!" Syaoran yelled back, Sakura reeled back and turned away from him.  
  
There was a few moments silence, both of them breathing heavily and out of sorts. Until Sakura's sobs broke through the quietness. Syaoran felt guilty, sure she didn't tell him and he should be able to feel angry and hurt. But she went through what he was now feeling and more; she went through it alone. He always thought they were soul mates and that they could get through anything if they went through it together, he just didn't realise until now that they might not want to go through it together. She had to choose whether or not she wanted to try and redo things, see if she could save their child, but he couldn't really blame her, for fearing of repeating the same issues again, for not wanting to feel it again. He moved towards her and pulled her in to a hug, she tried to pull away but he kept hold of her possessively not letting her get away, but after several attempts, she collapsed in his embrace and cried into his shoulder. 


	8. Theories on the matter

Hi everyone thanks for all those who reviewed and wow Avelyn Lauren your reasoning does make sense, some of it might be true and some of it might be false. Ha Ha Ha, you might think I'm being evil but I have only basically thought of a basic storyline, and I might change it.  
  
I think I got this chapter the way I wanted it. It just mainly brings Sakura and Syaoran and the murder case together and ties up a few lose ends. Tell me what you think.  
  
Not that different  
  
Theories on the matter  
  
*****Syaoran POV*****  
  
I slowly wake up on an uncomfortable couch, to find a young lady in my arms, leaning her head on my shoulder, Sakura. I'm glad I woke up before her, this way I can admire her with her turning away or blushing. She looked as beautiful as ever, despite a couple of healing cuts on her forehead, which at the moment were being covered by a long fringe. She looks so innocent, like an angel. I love watching her sleep; I used to watch her all the time when we were together. She has gone through so much, so many things I can't even start to comprehend, yet she still looks incredibly young and stunning. It still gets me when her eyelids twitch from the movement of her eyes underneath showing that she's dreaming, the way her nose wrinkles all of a sudden then quickly relaxes and the way she would tilt her head to the left when she wakes up. I close my eyes to maintain the act that I was asleep and not watching her.  
  
I feel her shift her weight beside me, as though she was turning on to her front. I feel slight pressure on my shoulder and I can sense her leaning over me, as though trying to determine whether or not I was awake. I must have been a dead giveaway.  
  
"I know your not asleep Syaoran," I open my eyes instantly upon hearing those words to see her staring intently at me, a stare which I quickly return. "Why pretend?" she asked softly,  
  
"I just wanted to know if you would get up and leave," I replied, she turned her head away from me, I must of struck a nerve, "Sakura I."  
  
"I never want to do that again, you had no idea how quiet I had to be last time?" she said turning back towards me, a small smile on her face,  
  
If she wants to play a game, I can play too, "here was me thinking you had used the sleep card, I mean, I remember what your brother called you and I think." I trailed of as she threw a cushion at me. Oh Clow, how I had missed this. I move to grab the cushion off her, but she was too quick and pulled it away before I could drag it away from her and I was rewarded with another hit. I charged at her and this time she didn't have chance to move quickly enough and we toppled of the couch entangled in one another, laughing on the trip down to the floor.  
  
Slowly the laughter died away and we became ever so increasingly aware of our position. I was on top of her, preventing her from moving. I moved my head slowly down to lower my lips to hers. I kiss her ever so gently, and my heart surged when I found her kissing me back, just like it always did whenever we kissed. I moved my hands down towards the hem of her top.  
  
"Stop!" she cried whispering, I pulled my hands away and lifted my head to look in to her eyes. "Sorry but I'm going to be late for work." She said lamely, embarrassed by her words.  
  
"Call in sick?" I offered, leaning to kiss her neck, she indulges in it for a while but I feel her shake her head and lift my head with her hands so she can look at me.  
  
"I'm a police officer Syaoran, my job is important." She says quietly,  
  
"I know," I reply as I slowly lift myself off her, then I offer a hand to pull her up. "How'd you get in to that anyway?" I ask her,  
  
"I just felt like I could help. I should help, you know with my title and all," she replied shrugging, "I'm working on a murder case right now actually, it's a little creepy to be honest. All the victims have these burn marks on their."  
  
"Backs!" I say interrupting, she looks at me suddenly, and I quickly continue by saying, "that's why Eriol and I are here in the first place. The elders, well all of us felt they were magically related,"  
  
"Expect the unexpected Sakura," she says to herself before turning to look at me. "The burn is a symbol, it's so similar to the Clow symbol, and mine," she whispers.  
  
"You said you felt a magical presence last night when you were attacked, and these murders, these magical murders are in your location Sakura, they two have to be connected, I mean two separate magic cases at the same time, it seems way too much of a coincidence." I said,  
  
"In a disturbing way that kind of makes sense. I mean, I haven't felt a new magical presence in years." She says,  
  
"You said your working on this case," she nods, "so you get access to the police reports and the evidence," she nods again slowly, and disappears out of the room.  
  
She comes back in with a file in her hand, "here," and she gives it to me. "I'm guessing you and Eriol are going to want to take a look at it," I nod, "look I need a shower, go talk it over with Eriol, and we can meet later and do some brainstorming,"  
  
"Okay, can I have your number," I say the last part really awkwardly, I felt like I was back in elementary school,  
  
"Eriol made me give it to him yesterday in return for an unnoticed getaway from the hotel," she replies, with her head down. She gave Eriol her number and he didn't tell me! Some friend! But I manage to control my anger and head to the front door, opening it saying a quick "see you later," and she closed it behind me.  
  
*****Sakura POV*****  
  
For the first time in ages, it felt like a real chore going to work, I just couldn't keep my mind of Syaoran. I nearly gave in to him this morning and to be honest I would of loved to have slept with him. Now I think about it, the only kind of work I did when I was with him was the odd few modelling jobs for Tomoyo and they were mainly favours to her, I mean there was no need for me to really work and I was always wrapped up in whatever he was doing, where he was going unless I wanted to spend time with friends. But when I came here I needed to earn actual cash and not live off Syaoran, I mean how long would it of taken him to find me if I was using our joint account to pay for things.  
  
I walk to work, on account of my car being indisposed. I love the feeling of the fresh air kissing my face. The good thing about having this much magic is that I can feel everything around me, things I can't see or hear. Things connect with me and I feel sympathy to those who don't sense them in the way I do. I smile to myself as I reach the station. I walk to my desk and with my senses heightened so much at them moment I feel Trina come up behind me.  
  
"You are dead meat girl, you are so late," she says,  
  
"If anybody's going to be dead meat it's you," I said turning towards her,  
  
"Christ what happened to you," she says eyeing my cuts,  
  
"Long story," I reply offhandedly, "I had a visit from an old friend last night who."  
  
"Kinomoto, you're late!" Mr Kami shouted as he came in to the room followed by Ryu and Tony, "Why?"  
  
I turn to them and see them intake my cuts, "Well it starts with the fact somebody tried to knock me off the road in my car last night, I woke up late due to the fact I had a late visitor, because this girl interfered and I had to walk as I forgot what a wreck my car was. That good enough for you," I snapped back at him,  
  
"No need for cheek Kinomoto," Mr Kami said warningly,  
  
"You're right sorry, it's just been a long week." I say dragging a hand through my hair.  
  
"I can tell," he replies, "any idea who hit you?"  
  
"None. Any news on the case," I say, Tony shows me a picture of one of those Tarot reading stands, "here?" I ask.  
  
"Yep," Trina says,  
  
"There's something else," Mr Kami said, I lift my gaze and nod my head for him to continue, and Trina said the basic "what,"  
  
"Hedo and Tippin searched through the databases this morning, for that symbol that you showed us yesterday, we came up with the Chinese Li Clan."  
  
It was at this point my eyes bulged open, naturally I knew that the Li Clan still used Clow's symbol but for them to make the connection, I should give them better credit in future. I could feel Trina shift her gaze towards me for a second, unfortunately Dana chose this point to but in to the conversation, where did she come from anyway?  
  
"You do know that a Li is currently in town right?" she said,  
  
"Yes, that detail has come to me, that's why we're going to pay Mr Li a visit," Mr Kami said,  
  
"I'll go," I shout quickly, and blush when everybody gives me a funny look,  
  
"I was going to ask Hedo and Tippin to go, but if you want to go." Mr Kami said slowly,  
  
"I want to go," Ryu said suddenly, I threw him a glare, which surprised him,  
  
"I don't need a babysitter Hedo!" I growl threateningly. The main reason I want to go is to warn Syaoran about the police looking into him.  
  
"Hedo should go," Mr Kami said,  
  
"I don't want to go if he's going," I say acting like I was back in school,  
  
"Fine, but it's his lead, so Tippin you partner him," Mr Kami said, I open my mouth to reply, "That's the way it's going to be Kinomoto," he said in a final tone. After which Trina threw me a worried glance.  
  
*****Syaoran POV*****  
  
"Mr Li there's two police officers here to see you," said Jenkins over the intercom,  
  
I crease my eyebrow in wonder, "Male or Female," I say,  
  
"Er, Male sir," not Sakura then, which is a good thing I haven't spoken to Eriol yet, he's supposed to see me later.  
  
"Let them in," I say, moving the file sakura gave me into my draw. I move towards my office door, and they both come in, I shake their hands as they introduce themselves,  
  
"My name is Officer Hedo and this is Officer Tippin,"  
  
"I'd say my name but you already know it, what can I do for you gentleman, please take a seat." I say in my serious business voice. Tippin hands me a file, while Hedo speaks taking a seat,  
  
"I'm sorry if these pictures disturb you, but we feel that it's necessary that you look a them," I open the file, and I'm shocked, but not in the way they think I am, these pictures are the same as what Sakura gave me this morning plus a few new ones.  
  
"What are these?" I say slowly,  
  
"They are pictures of some victims of a murder enquiry," Tippin says,  
  
"I would ask you to pay close attention to the symbol on the victims back," I pretend to take it in, but I already know what symbol it is,  
  
"Yes? But what's this got to do with me?" I say seriously,  
  
He hands me another picture this time it the Clow symbol, "Do you recognise this?" Hedo asks me, but I sense that he already knows something otherwise he wouldn't ask me, so there's no point in lying, well lying much.  
  
"I suppose I should," I say, "My Clan uses the symbol, and as the leader I should know what it means, but we lost that knowledge hundreds of years ago, all I know is that it's from an ancestor of mine," he looks at me unconvincingly, he moves from his seat and looks round the room, his eye catches something, it's one the pictures of me and Sakura which I brought here with me.  
  
"May I ask who this is?" Hedo says staring at the picture before passing it to Tippin who takes a sharp intake of breath,  
  
"That's none of your business," I growl,  
  
"You see, it is my business," Hedo replies threateningly,  
  
"Is that everything," I say calmly, "because if it is I'm going to have to ask you to leave."  
  
At that moment Eriol burst through the door, "so what's this big important news you. oh er, hi." He says when he notices I'm not alone,  
  
"This is Officer Hedo and Officer Tippin, they're here to ask me some questions," I say giving details,  
  
"I'm Eriol Hiragizawa, Li and I are family." He says shaking their hands, "what kind of questions are you asking," he says, I notice him look at the picture in Hedo's hand.  
  
"It's classified," Hedo replies stiffly,  
  
"A murder enquirey," I say just to annoy Hedo, he shoots me a look, "What? I was going to tell him anyway." I say smirking,  
  
"May I say, that if it's a murder enquiry, why are you holding a picture of one of my oldest friends and this creep," he says nodding towards me,  
  
"I spoke to Sakura last night, she actually works in the police force," I say before Hedo gets a word in,  
  
"Really. Oh so do you know our little cherry blossom do you?" Eriol says with a smirk on his face.  
  
"They dated," Tippin mutters,  
  
"Oh you're the guy she just dumped, gee that must have been hard on you," I say faking sympathy, Eriol emphasizes this by patting Hedo's shoulder, who just threw him off. Both Eriol and I just grinned.  
  
"We'll talk to you again Mr Li," Hedo says after replacing the picture on my desk. He them storms out of my office, Tippin just smiles a little, and says  
  
"Good one, he needed something to bring his ego down," and then leaves the office but not before grabbing the file.  
  
"What's that about," Eriol says after he closes the office door.  
  
"That was the case we're working on," I say while opening my desk draw and taking out the file Sakura gave me,  
  
"What's this?" Eriol asks me,  
  
"Sakura's also on the same case, she gave me a copy of all the information she has." I say and then I go on to what me and her talked about last night, the attack in her car, our theories on the case so far, all except why Sakura left. She had only just opened up to me; I didn't think she wanted anybody else to know the reason behind it just yet. 


	9. truth and desire

Thank you to all of those of you who reviewed and for waiting this long for an update, I got a little side-tracked. The next chapter should be up quicker.  
  
Not that Different  
  
Chapter nine  
  
"Miss Kinomoto may I please speak to you," Mr Kami said to me, I nodded my head for him to continue, "in private," he said looking around the crowed room.  
  
I stood up and said, "Lead the way sir."  
  
He led me into his office and gestures to a chair in front of the desk. I notice straight away that we weren't entirely going to have this talk in private, if the fact that Ryu and Tony were present in the room gave any clues. Great, I guess they know that I know Syaoran. But the question is that do they know that I know, that they know, that I know Syaoran? Can I use this to my advantage? How the bloody hell can I use that to my advantage! God, this is just getting confusing. I rest my head on one of my hands to help ease these thoughts.  
  
"Miss Kinomoto, this morning when I talked about sending Mr Li a visit, how come you never said anything about being an acquaintance of the man in question?" Mr Kami said condescendingly, as though I was a child.  
  
"I did offer to go pay a visit," I offered helpfully,  
  
"That wasn't the question," he replied quickly.  
  
"We've met a few times. We knew one another when we were kids, we dated once actually," I noticed all three of the men roll their eyes at that statement. What am I, the dating whore? Jerks! "We kind of bumped into each other the other night at the club. But we were never that close," I lied.  
  
"So you're saying that you don't spend a lot of time together?" Mr Kami said,  
  
"Something like that," I notice out of the corner of my eye, that Ryu had a smirk on his face, he must really enjoy having me in trouble and I wasn't that deep yet. The bits of information that could get me in deeper were:  
  
I just lied because we did spend last night together,  
  
And the fact that I never mentioned that I was married while filling out the form when I applied for the police training.  
  
Okay, even now as I think about it, it sounds really bad, but I whole- heartedly believed that I would have been divorced really soon and if I filled out Mrs Li on the application then in no time Syaoran would have been down on me like a hawk, at that time I just needed to get away. And you wouldn't believe how good the cards were at creating every kind of document I needed and a past to go with it while they were considering my file.  
  
"So it must surprise you to know that one of Li's associates, a Mr Hiragizawa, described you as his oldest friends," Ryu said, and I must of looked like a right idiot with my mouth going 'o', it was as though I was a child but this time I'd been caught with my hand in the cookie jar, "or that Mr Li mentioned something offhandedly which places you spent last night in his presence or that."  
  
"I get the point," I interrupted sharply.  
  
"Okay, so we've established that you know Li and you have obviously got an emotional connection to him," Mr Kami stated, I opened my mouth to say something on my behalf, "Miss Kinomoto, I suggest that you think clearly before you say something. Now what was it that you going to say?"  
  
"Nothing sir," I said in a small voice,  
  
"I'm going to request that you be removed from the case," he stated simply,  
  
"What!" I shouted back,  
  
"Miss Kinomoto." Mr Kami started,  
  
"You need me on this case," I gritted through my teeth pointing my index finger at him,  
  
"Look, we're blind at the moment and the only lead we have knows an officer directly and we can't afford this investigation becoming public and."  
  
"Okay I made a mistake in not telling you, but it's my life; my personal life and I didn't think that it would clash with my work. Okay?" Mr Kami nodded,  
  
"She is one of the best officers we have at the moment, it doesn't make sense to just drop her. We need her," Tony said and I felt great gratitude to him at that particular moment in time, that and the phone that rung. We all stayed silent while Mr Kami talked on the phone.  
  
"A body has been found at that extreme sports place on Techo," he said to us,  
  
"I think I know the place, who is going?" Ryu said quickly,  
  
"I think that you and Tippin," Mr Kami replied,  
  
"Wait, I know the owner of the place maybe I can."  
  
Ryu turned on me, "how the hell do you know the owner?"  
  
"Oh I forgot I should have never set foot in that because I'm a woman," I said sarcastically,  
  
"First of all, that's not it. Secondly since when did you become such a bitch?" Ryu replied.  
  
"I was always a bitch, I was just doing a favour, for a sister by being nice," I retorted,  
  
"Children!" Tony yelled getting our attention, "thank you."  
  
"Kinomoto do you know the owner," I nodded, "Fine, you and Starlight check it out,"  
  
"Thank you sir," I say leaving the room but not before giving Ryu a heated glare.  
  
*******  
  
"So tell me how you know the owner," Trina said for like the third time. We'd asked the questions and did our job after the forensics' team had 'walked the grid', now we where just waiting outside the centre before heading back to the offices.  
  
"While I was going through training I had a part-time job here," I replied quickly, "Needed the money."  
  
"Why?" I look at here and notice how confused her expression was.  
  
"What do you mean why? I just." I ask,  
  
"Extreme sports, you don't look the type too."  
  
".Risk my life" I finished for her and she nodded. "I guess that's why, whenever somebody finds out I'm part of the police force they don't believe me."  
  
"Most people think a woman can't handle it!" she confesses. "But I don't get the sport thing."  
  
"I've always been sport mad, I love them; any sports. To be honest, I think that's why Syaoran and I were together so long." I say, more to myself than to Trina. "I mean, he's never been the type to go for the girls who were really girly and shop every minute of the day and obsess about looks and make-up and I was the kind who was willing to try something new; who loved feeling the rush of doing something different and found happiness in almost everything."  
  
"I never knew," Trina replied quietly.  
  
"That's how I got the job here," I tell her, with a grin. "I knew about more sports then any of the other applicants and I was willing to try all of the sports I didn't know a thing about." I look up at the sky and see it darken. "We'd better get back."  
  
"You know, I'd love to see pictures of you and Syaoran" Trina says off hand. Then turns to look at me and adds, with a grin, "I bet you look so cute together."  
  
I just groan before telling her I'd bring them in tomorrow.  
  
*******  
  
I open the front door, shouting "Kero, Yuki, I'm."  
  
But as soon as I walk in I'm overwhelmed by the smell of cooked food and lit candles burning surrounding the whole living room in a romantic glow.  
  
My mouth hanging open, I see Syaoran standing in the centre of the room with a grin on his face. I turn around to take in ever inch of the room.  
  
"I'd hoped you'd like it," I hear him say, as though in justification. I move back to look at him, then as though I'd just hit a brink wall, all these feelings and sensations bombarded me and I could barely stand; hell I could barely breathe. "I thought we could have dinner and. er well, you know, talk." But I could tell easily that, that wasn't the only thing on his mind.  
  
But the only thing that I wanted, right here and right now was Syaoran; for him to hold me possessively and kiss me tentatively and whisper softly into my ear how much he loved me. I put down my bag and shrugged out of my jacket, which I place on the couch. I move to stand right in front of him and urgently pull his head down to capture his lips in a forceful kiss, opening my mouth wide against his. I pull away suddenly before he can grip me in a powering embrace and say, "I don't want to talk," while pulling my top over my head. 


	10. Watched

Right... I am so sorry that this has taken so long to update but with my exams and the fact I'm moving on to the local sixth-form college for two years till I turn eighteen, my time has been eaten up.

Any as I've said in the previous chapters I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura.

I hope you like this chapter!

Syaoran's POV

"Coz baby there ain't no mountain high enough," I hear a voice singing while leaning over a cooker, "ain't no valley low enough, ain't no river wide enough, to keep me from getting to you.........aahh!" Sakura screams when I grab hold of her waist. She knows that its me, if the fact she turns afterwards and whacks me round the head.

"What was that for?" I ask with a smirk developing on my lips.

"Don't scare me!" She replied forming a very kissable pout.

"What's cooking Doc?" I ask still holding her tiny waist. She was wearing his my shirt and just seeing her, feeling her skin through the cotton was incredibly sexy.

"I thought that I could cook you breakfast, seen as you cooked me dinner..."

"...But we didn't eat the dinner," I said grinning. "Hey, why didn't you call me yesterday?" She looked at me, confused but adorable. "We were going to talk about the case," I supplied.

I could mentally see the cogs turning in her brain as she realised what I was talking about. "I got kind of tied up," she answered with a shrug. "You see my boss yelled at me for being late, thanks to you," she add a glare at me then but I just raised my eyebrows suggestively. "Then he gave me a lecture about even knowing you, which was by the way your fault, seeing as how you had to blab to my colleagues that we knew one another. I just figured I'd talk to you when I got home; which I did," she finished after cutting me off every time I tried to say something.

I stared at her then added; "well we didn't actually talk..." slyly but instinctively stopped speaking when I sensed her raising her delicate hand to hit me again.

"There was another murder," she said, looking directly at me. "There should be some case details in..." she stopped while appearing to look for something. "...erm where did my bag go?"

"Other side of the chair," I replied absentmindedly. "Your coat is next to it."

"Right." She went to retrieve said bag and search through the contents before pulling out a brown formidable looking file, which she then handed to me. Then, while peering over my shoulder as I looked at it, she said,"I need to phone in- say that I'm going to be late. We need to sort this case out and quickly, we're wasting too much time; too many lives have been lost."

"I know what you mean, too much time has been lost," I reply agreeing.

I watch her as she punches a number on her phone and listen to her say, "Trina its Sakura," as she turns away from me. Silence, then Sakura speaks again, "I'm going to be in late, can you cover for me?"

It was then that something penetrated me, a smell kind of like... BURNING

"Sakura the foods burning..." I yell quickly before heading to turn off the stove.

Sakura doesn't seem to mind the potential fire hazard if the fact that she's still speaking into the phone was any indication or the laugh that followed a small pause.

By the time I'm finished dealing with the burning food, Sakura is the one that's now looking intently at me, "Can you call Eriol? Tell him we should meet at say two here."

"Sure..." I said as she headed down the hallway towards the bathroom.

Sakura's POV

"You got them?" Trina said to me the moment I came through the door.

"If you mean the wedding photo's then... yeah right here," I replied patting my bag.

"So... what are you waiting for? Get them out!" I smiled at her insistence and complied with her requests. And before I knew it we were both staring and smiling longingly at the pictures. Yes, I know it was my wedding but I hadn't looked at these in a long time and I mean a long time; I'd forgotten how magical the day was. It truly was a dream wedding; you know the kind most little girls wish about, where you would feel like a Princess- well I did because Syaoran made me one.

"What 'choo looking at?" said a voice, which sounded like Tony's, while tearing a photo out of my hand. "Oh my God Sakura you look amazing, but why are you wearing a wedding dress?" he said confused.

"That's what a bride wears of her special day Tony or had that never registered with you," Trina said before I could get a word in, handing over another photo but this time the groom was included, Tony caught the jist instantly and looked at me shocked. I didn't know what to say so I just smiled sheepishly before banging my head on the desk.

I barely heard a voice say, "keep them coming." And soon at least ten officers were looking at the old photographs adoringly and sighing when a new one was handed to them. Every time somebody new joined this group they always said something along the lines of 'I never knew you were married,' or 'Li- Syaoran girl, how the hell did you catch him?'

To be honest it never occurred to me until much later, after I'd demanded the pictures back and locked them in my locker, after I'd left to meet Syaoran and Eriol that word would get around everybody in that building and it wasn't all positive feedback.

"I don't see a link!" Eriol said throwing up his arms in frustration, for what seemed like the hundredth time, after meeting at the appointed time.

"Do any of us?" I said softly.

"This is getting us no where!" Syaoran said. "Lets look at the places of death again."

"We have an ice rink, a kind of weird and may I add creepy wood, the beach..." I said counting off the site areas on my fingers. "...the ever spiritual Shrine, a tarot card reading stand thingy and ... erm... an extreme sports building."

"... Wait, I think I'm forming a thought... yep that make sense..." Eriol started.

"WHAT!!!" Both Syaoran and I screamed at him.

"Pass us your cards Sakura," he requests, to which I comply. He searches through the deck and takes a card out. 'Ice' the title read.

As he place the card on the table, Eriol states, "Ice rink." He shuffles through the deck once again and places the wood card on the table.

"Wood," I hear Syaoran mutter.

"Now the beach location could either be sand or water, the shrine and the tarot cards could both give a wide variety of things like: dream, past... they both represent things that aren't visible to the naked eye; that you would look beyond the natural world."

"What about the extreme sports building?" I ask. "Wait... no... the body was found near the parachute gear... Jump!" I say piecing it together.

"But what does this mean?" Syaoran asks.

"OK, so Eriol, do you know if there are any rituals that would? Oh I don't know, gain anything by killing somebody on these elements?" I say before turning to him. That's when I notice how worn, how old he looks, shattered with his head in his hands. We're all struggling, and I can tell none of us know what's going on in the world around us; the world which has just thrown Syaoran back into my life, as well as magic.

My phone ringing sliced through the silence, which had engulfed the room. Before I picked up the phone I knew that I would be called out for something... typical just when were beginning to get somewhere.

"That was creepy," Trina said.

"These whole damn murders are creepy," I replied.

"Yeah but I meant that the whole time we were there I felt like somebody was watching me," Trina said quietly.

"I know what you mean," I agreed. "But when you think about it, there's always at least one person looking at you when your out in public and I for one always feel that, you just have to kind of... I dunno, zone it out?" I mumble offhandedly.

"Gee, that makes me feel better."

"It wasn't supposed to, I think she was stating a fact," Mr Kami, the officer in charge said. "One I agree with."

"Hey sir," both Trina and me said obediently.

"How was the garden centre," he asked.

"Same as all the others," I muttered. I'd already figured which card it linked to, Flower. The body was arranged in a bed of them and then as if to mock me I noted many cherry blossom petals around the body even though there were no trees with that blossom anywhere near in that particular area.

"Nothing? No witnesses, no evidence?" We shook our heads, "shit, this is getting ridiculous."

"SIR!!!" somebody shouted. The voice was Ryu's and Tony closely followed him.

"What Hedo,"

"We just got reports a town about three hours drive away. They've had similar murder's going on over there for the past few months but suddenly they just... stopped."

"How similar?" Trina asked.

"Very similar, just different locations," Tony replied.

"What's the town called?" Mr Kami asked.

"Tomeoda,"

"What!!!" I practically scream.

"Kinomoto," Kami cautioned me.

"That's my home town, it can't be," I whispered. My face must have paled and I must of looked ill, as everybody was looking on concerned.

Unfortunately for me Dana Hedo, Ryu's sister thought it was the best time to make an appearance.

"So Kinomoto, where are these pictures everybody's swooning over?"

"What pictures?" I replied still trying to deal with this blow.

"Why your wedding photo's of course," she said sweetly, to sweetly that it could be classed as sickly. And that's when my eyes widened and the big warning bells went of in my head. "You know, the photo's every officer is talking about."

"I don't know," I said softly and to be honest I didn't and I was actually more worried that the town where I grew up was involved in these murders. "Somebody took them earlier to show somebody but I'm sure they'll turn up soon."

"What wedding photo's?" Ryu asked. "Sakura's not married," he finished confused, I think I might have felt a bit of sympathy for Ryu then seeing how he didn't know, but then the phone rang. I was once again indebted to the machine known as the telephone, the amount of times it's got me out of problems.

"Hello, Kami here..." Mr Kami said into the phone, "uh...oh....um okay, I'll send somebody straight over,"

"Who wants this one?" he said to us, and natural I volunteered.

"It's just suspicious behaviour in an apartment building but... anyway Starlight go with her,"

Trina looked as though she would protest but the glare and the subtle nod to Dana and her brother told her that I needed to get out of here.

When we got t the apartment nobody answered, so we got the landlady to open the door for us.

"Vain much," Trina mumbled the moment we walked through the door and I had to agree with her. Mirrors lined the room living room. "Damn it!"

I turned to see what Trina was looking at, yep a murder usually warrants suspicious behaviour doesn't it. I walked over to get a better look while Trina comforted the Landlady who'd gone hysterical at the sight if the body.

But when I got closer I noticed it wasn't just any murder it was another for our case, the symbol that was burnt into their back was visible. I pulled my phone out and I dialled a number to call in the body. I noticed something in the corner of my eye just beyond a door that I could only guess lead on to the bedroom. I turned my head in that direction and it moved. I jumped and whatever it was took off. I ran after it, through the door and it jumped out the window, I would have followed but then Trina ran through the door. Seeing as we were at least tree floors up I would have to use my magic and if I did Trina would have guess there was more to me than I let on. So I just watched as the perpetrator landed gracefully on the ground and ran down to a car, which he then started and it sped away, well at least it tells me he used magic as I felt it.

A gasp turned me to where Trina was, but it was where she was looking that got my attention.

Pictures. Lots of them all pinned to the wall of the room. Of me; of my life. My eyes were wide taking them in; my breath was stuck in my throat., my stomach felt queasy. I felt numb, I wasn't aware that I had moved right in front of them. There was one of me with my family, me recently leaving work, me getting in my car, me through a window of my apartment, me at the beach with Yuki, me on a date with Ryu, me with Syaoran at that club. There were so many, somebody had been watching me and I didn't even notice. I noticed pictures scattered on the floor, my wedding photos that I'd brought into work that very day. I noticed some clothes on the floor that had gone missing from my locker at work. Now this was sick, crazy! Tears fell down my face as I took it all in, bile began to rise into my throat. I moved and ran as quickly as I could out of the building. I needed air, I needed to breathe. I slumped onto the pavement, hugged my knees and kept my head down crying and stayed there even after Trina came down and put her arm around me trying to comfort me. I can only take so much you know. Lots had happened to me in the past week and it was getting hard to bear, but this topped it all off.

I barely notice the police cars as it turns up, obviously to look at the body, search for evidence and I hardly noticed the looks of curiosity being thrown at Trina and me as we sat on the cold floor.

"Can you get up," Trina said softly, "we should get back to the office." I nod and slowly, with Trina's help got on to my feet. I tuned out on the ride over there so it was a surprise to me when the car stopped.

I followed Trina up to our office, ignoring my co-workers moving about around us. We walked into his office and Trina guided me to a chair. Trina left quickly mumbling something about phoning somebody. I don't know how much time had passed as I sat there, I ignored the questioning stares of Tony and Ryu who for once got that it wasn't the right time to talk to me but after a while I felt a comforting presence. Syaoran. Oh Clow, how I need him right now. I look up and see an officer leading him in and I stand up from the safety of my chair. He immediately pulls me into a possessive hug, dismissing the stares with an intense glare and he whispers into my ear, "Lets get you home my cherry blossom."


End file.
